Patrick Heckeler

With deep sadness, we announce the sudden and unexpected passing of our dear partner, colleague and friend, Dr. Patrick Heckeler (March 10, 1980–July 12, 2026). He was not only an exceptionally skilled and capable patent attorney, but also a deeply compassionate and kind person. His dedication, energy and positive spirit will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife as well as with his family and beloved ones.

You are warmly invited to share your thoughts and memories of Patrick, or your final farewells to him, with us in this online condolence book.

Patrick Heckeler was a recognized expert in the patentability of inventions in the IT sector, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). His expertise encompassed the legal and technical challenges related to the protectability of computer-implemented innovations as well as their strategic integration into patent portfolios. He handled cases in the areas of multimedia technology, telecommunications, computer architecture, operating systems, databases, embedded systems, audio and video coding, virtualization, and network technology. Through his previous work in the “Safety-Critical Systems” research group at the Chair of Technical Informatics at the University of Tübingen, Patrick Heckeler also gained extensive knowledge in the development and verification of safety-critical systems, particularly for applications in the automotive sector and industrial automation.

His core competencies as a patent attorney included patent prosecution, opposition and appeal proceedings, as well as representation in infringement and nullity actions before national courts and the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

Patrick Heckeler was actively involved in the Digital Technology Committee of the German Patent Attorney Bar and served on the “Artificial Intelligence, Data & New Emerging Technologies” and “Software-related Inventions” committees of the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO). Additionally, he was a member of the German Patent Attorney Bar, the International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI), the Association of Intellectual Property Experts (VPP), the Licensing Executives Society (LES), and the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR).